Grief Counseling in Dallas for People Carrying a Loss
If someone is gone and the world still expects you to be fine, or if a relationship, role, or version of your life ended and nothing feels the same, you're in the right place. I'm Andy Sibley, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor in Dallas. Grief counseling here is room to feel what you feel, without a clock on how long it should take.
LMFT & LPC, licensed in Texas & Louisiana. 20+ years of experience. Accepting new clients.
What is grief counseling?
Grief counseling is talk therapy that helps you live with a significant loss so the pain does not run every hour of the day. You and a licensed therapist make space for what you feel, sort through the changes the loss brought, and build ways to keep going that still honor what matters. The goal is not to erase the person, relationship, or life you lost. It is steadier ground and less isolation while you carry it.
Does this sound like your week?
Maybe a parent, partner, friend, or child is gone, and grief still hits in the grocery store, at work, or the second you wake up. Maybe the loss was a divorce, a breakup, a job, a diagnosis, or a future you planned on. Some people come in months after a funeral. Others come years later, surprised it still hurts this much.
People around you mean well. They say you should be further along. You smile so the conversation ends, then go home and feel the weight again.
None of that means you're failing at grief. It usually means the loss is real, and you need a place where no one is rushing you.
How I help with grief in Dallas
I keep the work honest and unhurried. My job is to sit with what you're carrying and help you find ways to function that don't ask you to pretend you're past it.
- Death of someone you love. We make room for the full mix: sadness, anger, numbness, guilt, relief, and the days that feel almost normal. There is no correct order.
- Loss of a relationship. Breakups, divorce, and estrangement can feel like a death of a shared life. We treat that seriously, not as something you should already have shaken off.
- Loss of identity or a future. When a role, health, career path, or dream ends, who you are can feel up for grabs. We work through that shift without forcing a neat new story too soon.
- Grief that lands on your relationships. Loss changes how you show up with a partner or family. If that's part of it, couples counseling can sit alongside individual work when it helps.
- Complicated or stuck grief. When the pain stays raw for a long time, or when trauma, unfinished business, or missing support makes it heavier, we slow down and work with what is actually in the way.
What makes my approach different
A lot of grief advice pushes stages, timelines, and the idea that healing means being done. I don't work that way. I look at the whole picture: the loss itself, how your body holds it, and how it shows up with the people still in your life. Holding both an LMFT and an LPC license means I'm trained for what's going on inside you and between you and others.
I've done this work for more than 20 years, licensed in Texas and Louisiana, with a background teaching psychology at Louisiana Tech University. You get someone who has sat with a lot of people in a lot of hard seasons and knows support can help without promising a tidy ending.
What to expect
- Reach out. Call (214) 227-6651 or request an appointment through the client portal. Tell me a little about the loss. It takes a few minutes.
- First session. We meet and map what you're living with: the loss, what the days look like, and what you've already tried. No performance, no judgment.
- We build support. Over the next sessions you get space for the feelings, skills for the hard hours, and a clearer sense of what this loss is asking of you.
- We check in. We keep asking whether the work is helping. This is your life, and you set the pace.
Fees and insurance
Individual sessions are $200 for 50 minutes, or $300 for an extended 80-minute session. I accept Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Optum, UMR, and United Healthcare. Coverage varies by plan, so it's worth calling the number on your card to confirm your benefits. If that feels like a hassle, reach out and I'll help you sort it out. See the full fees and insurance details.
My office is in East Dallas near Uptown and Knox-Henderson, right on Central Expressway. If you're looking for a therapist close by, read about my Uptown Dallas practice. Online therapy is available across Texas when coming in isn't realistic.
Questions people ask about grief counseling
How much does grief counseling cost in Dallas?
A 50-minute individual session with me is $200 self-pay. Extended 80-minute sessions are $300 if you want more time. I accept Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Optum, UMR, and United Healthcare, so your out-of-pocket cost may be lower with insurance.
How long does grief counseling take?
There is no set length. Some people want a few months of steady support. Others come longer when the loss is complicated, recent trauma sits next to it, or life keeps reopening the wound. We check in regularly so you're not sitting in sessions that don't feel useful.
What is the difference between normal grief and complicated grief?
Normal grief is painful and uneven, but over time you can still function and hold both the loss and daily life. Complicated grief (sometimes called prolonged grief) is when the pain stays intense, the person or life you lost fills most of your thoughts, and ordinary days feel almost impossible for a long stretch. Either way, counseling helps. We work with what you're living, not a checklist of stages.
Do you offer online grief counseling in Texas?
Yes. I see clients in person at my Dallas office and online by secure video anywhere in Texas. Video works well when getting out of the house feels hard, or when travel and traffic get in the way. Many people mix both.
What happens in the first grief counseling session?
Mostly we talk. You tell me who or what you lost, what the days look like now, and what other people have said that helped or hurt. I'll ask about sleep, support, work, and how the loss shows up in your body and relationships. By the end we'll have a clear place to start. You don't need a polished story.
Does insurance cover grief counseling?
Often yes, when grief-related distress is a covered mental health service on your plan. I accept Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Optum, UMR, and United Healthcare. Benefits differ by plan, so call the number on your card or reach out and I'll help you sort out what to expect.
When should I see a therapist for grief?
When the loss is running your sleep, your relationships, or your ability to get through the week, it's worth getting support. You don't need a crisis first, and you don't need anyone's permission. Plenty of people come in because the people around them expect them to be fine already, and they aren't.
Can grief counseling help with non-death losses?
Yes. People grieve divorces, breakups, estrangement, fertility losses, job loss, health changes, and the end of a role or identity that defined them. If something meaningful is gone and your life feels unrecognizable, that belongs in the room. We treat it as real grief, not a side note.
Ready to talk?
You can ask questions first. There's no pressure and no commitment. If you're willing to try, that's usually enough to start.